brain balance

​ Brain Balance The brain is not an island in the body that suffers damage alone. When there are symptoms of poor brain health, other body systems have been compromised, also.

There is a story about a man saying to his doctor, “I’m in perfect health, Doc, except for this little spot of cancer.” Cancer generally takes a while to develop, and is itself a symptom of a system out of balance. Neurodegenerative diseases generally appear to be like that, too, a body out of balance.

This segment of the Alzheimer’s series originally was to have been about the different diseases of the brain and perspectives on the various causes and treatments. Some comments in Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, etc. do follow, but rather than get distracted by all of the variations of a brain and central nervous system gone wrong, let’s see what a good working system requires for proper function, some variations on how the brain and central nervous system go haywire, and then the steps to restore function.

A baseline principle is that the body does not do anything wrong. It responds appropriately to the challenges with the resources available. There was to be a list of scientific studies (from the National Institute of Health database) supporting the ways to restore and maintain brain health, but any one study is confined to studying one piece of the puzzle; multiple solutions are not allowed in scientific studies, because it is not clear which ONE works. That’s the point! The solution is only rarely one thing.

Before blaming circumstances outside of ourselves for brain degeneration, we need to grasp this key concept of how the brain develops: As you grow in life, you tend to favor certain activities, certain brain functions. As you learn and practice new concepts and tasks, your brain grows new synapses, new connections between neurons. You may prefer art to the rigors of science, or music rather than accounting, or creating instead of classifying. We tend to build either the more creative areas of the brain or the more logical areas. As we become more exclusionary, we cause brain growth in one area and brain shrinkage in the other. As we age, we find it more difficult to perform those functions that we have neglected. When the brain must cut back due to lack of resources, this less used portion will go first.

Whole brain health means living a whole brain life with whole brain stimulation. That frustrating word “balance” comes to mind. In general terms, give the body – and the brain - the necessary resources:

Nutrition (whole foods, not too much, mostly colorful vegetables)

Water

Exercise (both physical and mental are necessary)

Rest

Moderation

Fresh air and sunlight

Positive relationships with God, people, and self

And avoid as best we can:

Toxins (nutritional, physical, emotional, spiritual)

Trauma

As with most things in this world, there are a lot of ways that things can go wrong with the brain. These are a few of the most common disorders. Normal aging is a slow natural process that is common starting at age 30 or so. A person may forget something, but will remember it later, like a person’s name or to pay a bill. With a disease like Alzheimer’s, you not only forget the name and to pay the bill, you forget the face and forget how to pay the bill. Alzheimer’s disease destroys brain cells, causing problems with cognition and memory that interfere with daily living, worsening until the body is unable to function in vital areas, resulting in death. The age of people getting Alzheimer’s is declining while the number affected is increasing, from over 5 million in the U.S. now, projected to over 16 million in 2050. Vascular Dementia is the second most common form of dementia. This accounts for about 20% of dementia cases among the elderly versus about 70% for Alzheimer’s. It is characterized by a block (as in a stroke) or gradual reduction in blood flow to the brain resulting in loss of brain cells. Loss of function depends on the affected area. Dementia with Lewy Bodies (includes Parkinson’s Disease) is a progressive brain disease with the accumulation of abnormal microscopic protein deposits (Lewy bodies) in the brain. In Parkinson’s, the Lewy bodies are concentrated in the substantia nigra area of the brain, which controls voluntary movement. Parkinson’s symptoms include stooped posture, shuffling feet, and involuntary tremors. Dopamine producing neurons are gradually lost. When the Lewy bodies are scattered throughout the brain, the symptoms resemble Alzheimer’s. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a fatal disorder with progressive muscle weakness with the destruction of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscles. MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is characterized by the breakdown of the myelin sheath covering the nerve axons of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms range widely depending on the specific neurological system: muscle weakness, tingling, pain; coordination and balance problems; speech issues; visual problems; cognitive impairment; depression; etc. There may be long periods with no symptoms and then they resume.

Most neurodegenerative diseases do not have a known cause from a medical perspective, although genetics may play a factor (e.g., the ApoE4 gene increases chances for Alzheimer’s) or toxicity may be associated (perhaps in ALS and Parkinson’s). Or perhaps it is that combination of issues: inflammation, lack of necessary nutrients and hormones, toxicity, vascular block or constriction, and some element of trauma.​ The next article will look at the overlaps of three models for restoring brain health.​Note:This article, like all others in these e-newsletters and website, is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This is not a substitute for medical advice. ​If you have a health condition requiring treatment, please consult a healthcare professional.Next Article